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Category Archives: #WonderfulWeekends

November seems to have whizzed by this year and it is only now that I am finally getting round to putting pen to paper (or should that be fingers to keys) and reporting in with the general bloggersphere.

It has been a funny month, I have been struck down by lurgy for some of it and for the rest have been trying to catch up as well attempting to make a start to Christmas preparations. I have felt like I have been chasing my tail for the most part and even as December draws ever nearer Novembers list is still way off being completed.

However, despite all this a bright beacon has shone in the form of the amazing #AutumnSurpriseProject. This is a lovely initiative organized by Lucy Heath through her wonderful blog and Instagram profile @capturebylucy.

As soon as I heard about it I knew I had to take part as the idea of random acts of kindness is something which really appeals to me. I can think of nothing better than increasing the amount of happiness and positivity in the world. The collective impact of this project, which has been repeated with the changing seasons, cannot be underestimated and Lucy should be very proud of what she has created.

I could not wait to get started planning my surprise gift package to send to my project partner, a lovely London based teacher whose Instagram profile revealed a keen sense of style and a love to travel. In the fleeting spare moments I could grab this month I have thoroughly enjoyed selecting and creating items to send to my project partner which were in part inspired by her love of wildflowers, the colour grey and sausage dogs.

As you may expect I couldn’t resist adding a creative element to my package and used free motion embroidery to create a some wildflower inspired fabric covered buttons as well as a sausage dog themed mini-cushion. The buttons in particular were a challenge for me due to their miniature scale and the fact that I have never attempted flowers before. I’m quite chuffed with the result and especially enjoyed creating the personalized tags to present them on, giving me a chance to use my ‘sarah kate makes’ stamp bought for me by mum for my birthday in July.

For my non-handmade gifts I added a lovely fragrant candle (another of my project partners loves) and an amazing ‘moodle’ book which I loved so much I had to buy one for myself too.

The concept of a ‘moodle’ is a doodle with the power to change your mood and for me personally seems a much better option than the ever popular ‘colouring for mindfulness’ which unfortunately, due to my perfectionist tendencies, creates more frustration than calm. I, of course, chose the ‘happy’ themed ‘moodle’ book and can’t wait to fill it with positivity and hope my project partner enjoys her moodling moments too.

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The date for the exchange of gifts to be sent by was last Sunday, the 22nd November and I could not wait to see what my package contained and to send my package to my lovely project partner.

Having picked up my package from the post office the day before it was with much anticipation and excitement that I opened the unassuming cardboard box to reveal a selection of beautifully wrapped gifts, each labelled with a Bali-themed tag, a holiday destination which was common to both me and my project partner.

I cannot believe how amazing the gifts I received were, such thought had been put into selecting them, it felt as if they had been bought by someone who had known me for years. Each tag revealed the reason the gift had been included. The first was a handwritten recipe for a Balinese banana cake ‘because I love to bake’, next was some awesome fabric ‘because I like retro patterns’ and finally there were some cute ‘handmade with love’ buttons ‘because I like to make things for others’ as well as a gorgeous ribbon spindle ‘because sometimes things can look too pretty to use’ (a sentiment which I definitely agree with here).

Opening these wonderful gifts definitely added a huge dollop of delight to an otherwise quite dreary dull day and I can’t thank Lucy Heath and my project partner enough for their combined efforts in creating this happiness. In a world where positivity and kindness to strangers can sometimes be hard to find, a simple act like this offers a glimmer of hope and as my project partner said when she received her package from me it can ‘restore our faith in human kindness’.

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October saw the launch of a fabulous new linky co-hosted by myself and the wonderful Mrs B (of Mrs Bishops Bakes and Banter fame) in which we encourage our fellow bloggers to share their #WonderfulWeekends and what good times they have been having.

It has been a joy to read all about the adventures and generally joyous times people have been having sharing good times with friends and families. Whether people travelled miles to make their weekend wonderful or stayed a bit closer to home everyone has definitely made the most of their precious time in their own way.

As a nature lover and generally outdoorsy type person, I loved reading all about the woodland adventure the lovely Kara at Innocent Charms Chat had with her family, collecting acorns, jumping in puddles and exploring the wondrous totem poles, tipees and natural musical instruments found on their trail. It was also lovely to see a video clip of their day in the woods as well as these beautiful pictures, this certainly seemed like a super Saturday to me.

More family fun was had by Vicki (from Honest Mum) and her boys who spent their weekends escaping to the city travelling to London, Cambridge, York and Liverpool during the month. Their weekends looked full of fun as they visited amazing museums, went to the theatre, ate delicious food and met up with friends. As usual Vicki’s pictures captured these moments wonderfully, I really loved this one of her youngest enjoying an ice cream on a sunny day in London, I have to say am super jealous of his Sherpa Hoodie (I wonder if they do them in adult sizes).

As an October bride I loved reading all about Lizzie Somerset’s anniversary celebrations with her lovely hubby at the beautiful Little Barwick House in Somerset (read all about it here). Taking time to enjoy each others company and chilling out together is exactly how Mr B and I spent our anniversary weekend and like Lizzie’s it was a perfect way to celebrate.

Sharon from Elephant and Mangoes certainly brought some sunshine to our linky with her post all the way from beautiful Malaysia as she spent the day picnicing on the beach at Port Dickson with her husband. Sitting under a coconut tree chatting and people watching sounds like a perfect way to spend a lazy Sunday.

I have felt so inspired by all the posts that were posted this month – to take adventures when they are offered; to explore my local area more; to spend quality time with all the good people in my life and remember that every weekend can be wonderful if you want it to be. I can’t wait to read the book that inspired it all, The Wonderful Weekend Book by Elspeth Thompson, as recommended by Mrs Bishop herself, it’s definitely on my Christmas list.

Simple pleasures are what make our lives wonderful (picture from Mrs Bishop)

Thank you so much for all of you who took part, reading through these wonderful posts has certainly brightened my month and I can’t wait to see what wonderfulness November’s linky brings.

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Exciting times on the blog as today myself and my good friend and fellow-Bedford-blogger Lucy from Mrs Bishops Bakes and Banter launch our first ever Linky!

Me and Mrs B!

We’d love for fellow bloggers to join in with our monthly link-up…our aim is to create a list of lovely blog posts that describe the #WonderfulWeekends you all have. As champions of positivity and mindfulness, Lucy and I want to inject some extra-joy into our corners of the inter webs and it would be amazing if you could all spread-the-weekend-love too.

All you have to do is add a link to any posts you write this month about wonderful weekend activities – it might be a family day out, a delicious meal, a mums/dads ‘day off’, or might just be a lazy weekend in your pjs – as long as it is wonderful to you then it is wonderful to us too! It could be an image collage post of pictures from your weekend, or a full on written post, it could be a review of family day out – anything goes, whatever works for you!

Remember to add the #WonderfulWeekends blog badge to your post, and to use the hashtag on social media. If you have time we’d really appreciate it if you have a peek at some other posts in the linky too and comment with the #WonderfulWeekends hashtag.

Please note that this month the linky will be hosted by Lucy – so please head over to her post to find the link and badge in order to take part.

This, our first linky will run for one month – and after the linky closes Lucy and I will each be featuring our favourites in a roundup post. We’re hoping to make this a monthly feature & hope you’ll embrace our attempts to spread some positivity…

Let’s inspire each other to make the most of our weekends!

The Rules:

If you enter a link then please ensure you have a read of a few other posts in the linky and comment with the #WonderfulWeekends hashtag.

Also, it would be brilliant if you could add the #WonderfulWeekends badge to your post by copying the HTML code in Lucy’s post.

Thanks everyone and we can’t wait to hear about your #WonderfulWeekends

Sarah and Mrs B

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Some weekends are for chilling in your pyjamas and watching your favourite movies, accompanied my whatever munchies you have to hand, these are nice enough and are definitely needed every once in a while. However, other weekends exist for making memories, this can be due to an unexpected occurrence which sneaks up on you and gives you that smile on a Monday morning that everyone notices or it can be a planned occasion which you have been looking forward to for weeks. These weekends to me often not only offer memories to cherish but also inspiration and are a little reminder that life really is good.

Last weekend was one of these weekends and although I have already blogged about my experiences at The Handmade Fair in my last post, this was only half the story. I couldn’t mention everything I saw and experienced on this wonderful day and I’m not sure Mr B wants all my pictures to fill up our yearly photobook so I have decided to share them here.

I hope that there are many more reasons to share my #WonderfulWeekends – spreading some positivity and happiness can only make the world a better place x